To Love or To Hate
by xxRyoga
Summary: AU. Ryoga gets himself into a predicament in the woods but thankfully, his savior happened to nearby... and she also happened to be the most beautiful redheaded female he's ever seen. It's too bad she's... Ranma?


**Author's Notes:** In this story Ryoga hasn't been introduced in the 'show' yet. Ranma never knew of Ryoga's existence or his curse. On the other hand Ryoga, of course, is still holding onto his deep hatred for Ranma BUT he has no clue of Ranma's cursed female body. Ryoga is never Akane's pet, so he never fell in love with her. Anyway in this story, it takes place when Cologne has already inflicted the Full-Body Cat Tongue curse on Ranma and all that jazz. So he is still stuck in his cursed female form and he is still trying his hardest to get the Phoenix Pill from Cologne – but still… failing tremendously. You can say this is AU.

**Disclaimer:** I, thankfully, don't own Ranma ½. Because if I did own the show, Ranma ½ would be ruined…

**Warnings:** AU. OOC – well, I hope NOT too OOC.

* * *

_Chapter 1._

* * *

Russia? China? USA… ? An unnamed tropical island located somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? Wherever he was… he was still determined to find Ranma Saotome and exact his revenge.

It's been years since he's seen the last of Ranma – who, in his own mind – had cowardly ran away from an important fight between them. Just because of Ranma, Ryoga gave up on his education to embark on this endless journey because as long as Ranma was still standing on Earth's ground, one hundred percent alive and one hundred percent breathing, he would never give up until Ranma dropped to the ground… preferably dead. And the one responsible for it would be by his own two trusty hands, obviously.

He cackled loudly in the middle of nowhere when suddenly his stomach began to growl. Well… first things first, he needed to set up camp, get something to eat and rest if he wanted to achieve that goal.

Stopping in the middle of the forest he was currently walking through – and not admitting that he was lost, again – he set down his backpack on the dirty ground alongside his precious umbrella. It took him awhile but he eventually managed to finish setting up his tent and he then built a small campfire a few feet in front of his tent. That's when his stomach began growling again. He sighed, time for the long and dreaded hunting session. Making his way deeper into the woods, he came to a halt when his brown colored eyes spotted a cute small grey rabbit to his liking.

Slowly. Deep breath. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. Slowly. Another deep breath. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot. Slowly. Another deep heavy breath. Right foot. Left foot. Almost there…

The rabbit stopped in the midst of its chewing; its ear perked up high in alert and twitched at the sound of leaves crackling.

"Gotcha!" he shouted, jumping towards it in hopes that it'll be right in his arms but the rabbit was much quicker in speed and it bolted right before he could even land on the dirty ground.

Ryoga cursed his luck and quickly gave chase. This went on for another two hours but eventually he decided to give up when he knew he couldn't catch up; his energy having been depleted at its lowest for awhile now since he hadn't eaten anything in the last few days. As he laid his back comfortably against a random tree, he watched dejectedly as the rabbit hopped away until it was no more in sight.

How could this day get anymore worst for him?

That's when it started to rain. So he inevitably turned into a black piglet, squealing and crying, aggravated that he always had such bad luck. Suddenly, he heard noises and the bush on his far right began rustling. Ryoga eyed the bush warily when out popped a wolf. Squealing out in horror, he runs for his dear life, and it gave chase.

* * *

Ranma was aggravated at everyone, whether it was their fault or not, at the moment so she decided to go somewhere where no one was around except Mother Nature itself.

"That stupid old hag with her: 'If you want me to lift this curse and turn back into a rightful man then you will have to marry my great-granddaughter,'" she grumbled softly while mocking the quoted sentence in Cologne's voice as best as she could. "Tch, if that old hag thinks I'm actually gonna marry Shampoo then she has another thing coming… b'cuz I'm never gonna marry Shampoo… never in a million years!" Her voice increased with much self-confidence she could muster up. "Yeah. That's right. I'ma do whatever it takes to get that Phoenix Pill from that old hag… even if it kills me. B'cuz I, Ranma Saotome, will never give up!"

After her very loud outcry her shoulders suddenly drooped morosely on its own, her head doing the same motion and a soft sigh escaped from between her lips. Who could blame her? If she doesn't do anything about it soon instead of complaining like a woman then she would risk losing her manhood forever. But that old hag… she's a million times stronger and faster than she'll ever be. A small glint of hope twinkled inside Ranma's mind for a brief second, but it diminished before her very eyes and even though it was no longer there… she was still stubbornly trying to reach for it.

Then the dreaded question decided to cross her mind at the moment. Would… Would _he_ be stuck as a female forever?

She shook her head harshly at her own question; there was no way she could bring herself to accept it. She quickened the pace in her steps and walked deeper into the forest, not caring where she went.

When suddenly, it started to rain and she cursed loudly. Her hair, skin, and clothes were getting completely drenched; they were sticking uncomfortably against her skin but she couldn't do anything about it. There was no way she was going back to the city right now with all these things that's been happening to her. Biting back the sudden cold like a man that she was meant to be, she continued her way through the woods that had instantly became slightly dark thanks to the weather.

That's when she heard the strange noise amongst the sound of the rain and she looked around in paranoia.

"Bweee!"

Ranma was taken aback when suddenly – something jumped onto her face and she screamed. "What the hell?"

Grabbing said something by whatever she was grabbing it by, she pulled it away and gave it a good look. Huh? A black piglet? It looks really frightened… but by what? Then again… this was the forest she was talking about so it's highly plausible that there were many predators lurking around for food – especially after a poor defenseless piglet like this guy… or girl. Her observation was proved entirely correct when a hungry wolf jumped out of nowhere, angry that she had caught its dinner. She became surprised when it unexpectedly and aggressively lunged towards her. Not wanting to hurt the wolf, she used the only technique she could think of on the spot so once she successfully dodged its vicious attack; she took the chance and with the tip of her index and middle finger, she jabbed them into its neck.

The wolf dropped onto the forest's floor, sleeping peacefully while her chest was fluctuating from the adrenaline. _'At… at least it's just what I needed.'_

Now that Ranma deemed they were safe, she glanced back at the black piglet that she was still holding by its… bandana? She guessed the poor thing must've belonged to someone before this happened. When she looked at its face, she felt an unfamiliar sense of feeling welling up inside her chest at the expression the piglet was giving her. Tears were streaming out the corner of its eyes as if it appreciated what she just did for it and she sighed. Well, she couldn't just leave it out in a dangerous place like this again, could she? Or else it'd get eaten alive for sure.

Much to her happiness and as if rewarding her for her good deed, the rain finally stopped its downpour and out came the bright sun. But still she was left uncomfortably drenched in her wet clothes. Regardless, she was a person that held onto her words so she continued on her way through the woods with the piglet safely secured between her arm and her side, lying comfortably on the palm of her hand. She came to a halt when she came upon someone's clothes lying on the forest floor and she blinked.

"Could this belong to its owner?" she asked softly, more to herself than the piglet. "Wolves usually come in packs don't they… but I'm sure he or she is strong enough to take care of themselves. Then again…"

Picking up the clothes with her free hand, she continued on her way and not even far from where she found the clothes, she spotted a small campsite. The campfire was no more saved for a black thin line of smoke trailing through the air above it. Her eyes then observed the campsite for any signs of the owner. "Hello?" she called out, hoping whoever the owner was, had heard her. When she received no response, she walked towards the tent and peeped through the small opening of the zipper to see no one in there. "Hm. It's deserted." She dropped the clothes down on top of the tent and then pulled the piglet up so that she was facing it. "Is this yer owner's?"

The black piglet, Ryoga, blushed intensely at the beautiful female in front of him. He couldn't see her clearly because of earlier but now that he could, he was at a loss of words. Well, apparently he couldn't speak anyway. But when she asked that question he wondered if he should give an answer to that or not – because ironically this campsite was his…

Ranma tilted her head in thought. "I wonder. Are ya' a girl or a boy?" At the same time she asked that question, she pulled him up a little further and was greeted by the piglet's intimate anatomy. "Yer a boy, eh?"

Heaving a heavy sigh, she put him on the ground, trusting him not to stupidly run away again and get chased by predators. But he was a pig and they tend to be stupid, she giggled at the insult she threw at him. Ryoga in turn looked up at her innocently, wondering why she was laughing and she shook her head, petting him on his head.

She suddenly sneezed – and to Ryoga – cutely. "Ah… I'ma get sick if I don't get outta' these clothes," she mumbled softly. "Better take them off…"

Ryoga squeaked when his eyes latched itself upon the beautiful female who was shamelessly pulling off her top and pulling down her pants, leaving her in nothing but boxers. She jumped up onto the highest tree branch that offered some sunlight and laid her wet clothes on top of it. When she was finished, she jumped back down and she shrieked when she was greeted by a passed out piglet, blood dripping down from his snout.

When Ryoga came to, he was snuggled up between something warm, soft, and squishy – he was to say in an extreme state of bliss – and he couldn't help but rub his head against whatever it was. "Yer awake?"

Ryoga flinched at the familiar voice from above him and he glanced up warily to see the face of a beautiful female_. 'The beautiful girl from my dream… wait…' _he paused momentarily before realizing it certainly was not a dream and the things he was lying comfortably in between was her… her… "Bwee!" He jumped away from her as if he was on fire and squealed when he realized he was in air… a few hundred feet above the ground. "Bweebweebwee!"

Luckily for him, Ranma caught him before he could fall any further. "Ya' stupid black pig… if ya' don't wanna fall to yer death then I suggest ya' stay still," she scolded. "I was just keeping ya' warm."

Ryoga, with bits of blood trickling down his snout, nodded his head in understanding and she placed him on her lap this time. Now that Ryoga had calmed down from the sexual thoughts running rampant inside his head about said female and the thought that he was about to die not just long ago, he made himself comfy on her smooth legs while raking in the place they were at. She was sitting on the tallest tree branch, her pants were still left out to dry right beside her but she was already wearing her dried out shirt. Ryoga spared another glance upwards at the beautiful female, she was looking at the sunset with a somewhat melancholic expression on her face and he couldn't help but become worried.

Even though he didn't know who this female was… even though she was just a stranger to him… he couldn't help but have these _feelings_ for her. But at the same time he felt as if his emotions were in a mix, something about her seemed awfully familiar to him and not in a good way. However, he didn't ponder any further when she started petting him on his head.

It wasn't long before the sun had completely disappeared from behind the mountains and in turn, the moon took its rightful place for the night. Ranma yawned tiredly as she stretched out her stiff limbs. She wondered if the owner of the campsite ever came back. If not then her observation was correct, frightening, but correct… jumping back down, with the piglet safe in her arms and her pants in her hand, she landed perfectly on the forest floor. She looked around again, but nothing.

She contemplated on the thought of waiting here with the piglet for the owner to come back.

Then again, she couldn't take that risk. It's too dangerous to be out here alone during the night especially when there's no campfire to scare away any possible predators. Although she could build one herself, but thanks to that dreaded curse Cologne had put on her, she couldn't get near flames no matter how hard she tried. "I'ma take ya' home for tonight and come back tomorrow morning to see if yer owner ever came back, 'kay?"

Ryoga nodded his head.

"Ya' look kinda hungry too…" she pointed out.

Ryoga nodded his head ferociously.

It wasn't long, half an hour at most, when she returned to the Tendo's household. The lights were still on, indicating that they were still awake, or at least some of them. As soon as she walked through the front door, she was greeted by Kasumi, who then blinked at the small critter in her arms. "Where'd you find such a cute little thing?"

"The woods," Ranma explained grumpily. "I saved it from being eaten by a wolf… after it latched onto my face."

Kasumi gasped in disbelief, her hands covering her mouth. "That's terrible. You poor thing," she cooed warmly as she softly petted Ryoga on his head. "You must be very frightened, aren't you?"

"Hey, Kasumi?" Ranma called. "Can ya' do me a favor and give him something to eat? He's really hungry and I'm gonna take a shower right now."

"Sure. It's my pleasure," Kasumi replied, smiling.

Ranma handed him over to the joyful female and kindly thanked her for always being so thoughtful before making her way to the bathroom. To her chagrin, again, she took a quick cold shower aggravatingly at the thought of Cologne being responsible for all of this and dried herself off with a towel before putting on a fresh set of tank top and a fresh set of boxer. Once she was done with all that, she walked out of the bathroom and into the living room to see – instead of Kasumi – but Akane in her place feeding the piglet a bowl of rice.

"Look. P-chan eats these kind of food," Akane said in astonishment as _P-chan_ chewed on the ball of rice he was given. "He's just too adorable. Good thing you  
found him when you had the chance."

Ranma easily guessed that Kasumi must've told her everything. "Are ya' serious, Akane?" Ranma questioned incredulously more so to Akane than towards what a pig was amazingly eating for an animal. "And ya' already gave him a name?"

"So?" Akane scoffed, sticking her tongue out at him. "We're keeping him… aren't we keeping him?"

"No, we're not," Ranma replied. "He's not ours… but I couldn't leave him alone in the forest again so I brought him back with me. Anyway, I found a campsite not too far from the attack so I'm heading back into the woods tomorrow morning to see if the owner came back to his… or her campsite. The piglet," Akane cut her off here with the correct name for him, "_P-chan_, as ya' can see, has a bandana around his neck so he probably belongs to the person."

Akane sighed dejectedly, frowning, she was hoping that they'd keep the piglet and that's when it hit her. "Fine. But if the owner doesn't come back, you're bringing him back here, you got it?"

Ranma rolled her eyes in irritation. "Well, like I said, I'm not going to leave him in the forest all alone again. Jeez. Yer so uncute," she commented, slightly honest this time. Akane, taking the insult as an offense, stuck her tongue out at her childishly and Ranma returned it with her very own similar one. Once they were done with their childish behavior, Akane fed P-chan another small ball of rice.

"There, he looks pretty full now," Akane stated. "Here, since you're the one who found him, you sleep with him."

"Fine," Ranma mumbled grumpily as she took the handed out piglet, that had a satisfied expression on his face, into her arms. "But if the owner doesn't come back for him tomorrow… he's yers."

Akane nodded. "Gladly."

With that, Akane said her goodnights… to P-chan and went to wash the dishes while Ranma walked upstairs to her room. When she slid open the door, she found her father sleeping peacefully in his futon and surprisingly, not in his panda form like he usually was. She quietly tiptoed towards her own futon before turning her attention towards the piglet in her arm. "I don't usually like having an animal sleeping in the same bed as me… but whatever… only for tonight. If yer owner doesn't show up tomorrow morning, I'll have no choice but to give ya' to Akane… I have more important stuff to deal with than taking care of a dumb pig like ya'."

Ryoga couldn't help but huff at the insult and to think she was actually nice…

His thoughts were interrupted when she laid him right beside her head and she closed her eyes as soon as she pulled the blankets on top of her. Ryoga blushed at the sight of her beautiful face; the moonlight from the open window gave her creamy colored skin a nice glow, she had a cute button nose, and her rosy colored lips were slightly parted. His eyes became hooded as he imagined the things he would do to those pouty lips if he were in his man body instead of this… disgusting one. His eyes widened in disbelief at what he just thought about and he shook his head.

No… he must not think about anything lecherous. He's not a pervert; he's a gentleman to the ladies and that's not going to change even if –

"Bwee!" it came out muffled when Ranma, in her sleep-induced state, pulled him towards her and against her bosom. He blushed, and despite his earlier overly-confident assertion, he finds himself absently rubbing his snout into her warm breasts, enjoying the soft and squishy feeling of it. Well, being a piglet without her knowing that he was actually a man inside won't hurt, would it? All he had to do was try to not to get caught and everything'll be just fine for him.

But for now…

"Bwee…" he uttered groggily as he drifted off into slumber.

* * *

_To Be Continued._

* * *

**Author's Note:** Ryoga will soon find out about Ranma, there's a reason why I haven't made Akane and Kasumi called out his name just yet. xD Anyway, I hope it's okay...


End file.
